Method and appliance for recording information stored on punched cards

ABSTRACT

The appliance consists of a storage tray spaced to one side and slightly above a punch table. From a stack of cards on the tray the top card is moved through a first passage on to the punch or marked then moved through a lower passage to the bottom of the cards on the tray.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Jean-Claude Kourganoff 9, Avenue deSaint-Mande, 75 Paris l2e, France 21 Appl. No. 43,512

[22] Filed June 4, 1970 [45] Patented Jan. 11, 1972 [32] Priority June9, 1969 [33] France [54] METHOD AND APPLIANCE FOR RECORDING INFORMATIONSTORED ON PUNCHED CARDS 12 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl..... 225/93, 35/48, 40/78 [51] Int. Cl B26f 3/00 [50] Fieldof Search 30/358, 366,367, 368;225/l,93; 35/48 A,48 B; 40/64 R, 64 A,78', 346/104; 273/149 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS2,923,452 2/1960 Holovka 225/93 3,240,409 3/1966 Harris 225/93 3,341,0979/1967 Fielder 225/93 3,414,177 12/1968 Spinner 225/93 X PrimaryExaminer-Theron E. Condon Assistant Examiner-J. C. Peters Attornevl-lubbell, Cohen & Stiefel ABSTRACT: The appliance consists of astorage tray spaced to one side and slightly above a punch table. From astack of cards on the tray the top card is moved through a first passageon to the punch or marked then moved through a lower passage to thebottom of the cards on the tray.

'PATENTEUJANI 1 m2 $533,803

lNVENTOR METHOD AND APPLIANCE FOR RECORDING INFORMATION STORED ONPUNCI-IED CARDS SUMMARY The appliance involved in the invention consistsof a box containing, first, a storage tray holding a series, or pile, ofmaster cards, and equipped with a system for presenting these cards oneafter another, and, second, a presentation table, on which each mastercard is placed in turn, the said table being positioned in such a way inrelation to the storage tray that, after recording of the information onthe receiving card, the master cards are returned to the storage traybehind the last card or the previous card used in the said recording.

This appliance is used for the recording of information on media suchas, in particular, precut receiving cards.

The invention relates to an improved precess and appliance for recordinginformation on media such as, in particular, precut receiving cards.

The appliance involved in the present invention makes possible thecarrying out of the improved data-gathering process described in anearlier application made by the same applicant, and which consists ofsuperimposing, on a receiving card, a master card bearing a number ofquestions or answers, each matched by a guide hole with a givenposition, and of punching the said receiving card by an suitable device,which is inserted into the hole facing the question or answer required.

The invention is intended to sole the problem of storing the mastercards and presenting them on the punch table. The cards are generallykept in a sort of holder, and the operator takes them one after anothermanually and lays them on the punch table. This operation not onlycauses time to be wasted, but also involves certain risks, in caseswhere the master cards have to be presented in a particular order, sincein handling the cards, to remove them from the holder or replace them init, the operator can change their order or position of presentation. Inaddition, the storage of cards in such a holder, separate from the restof the installation, is hardly practical.

The invention concerns an improved process for recording information,involving the presentation and superimposing of a series of master cardsin turn on a receiving card, and possibly the storing of the mastercards, after recording of the information on the receiving card, withoutthe order of succession of presentation of the master cards beingaltered.

According to one method performing the process covered by the invention,the first of a series of master cards is placed on top of a receivingcard, and after the recording of the information on the said receivingcard, the said master card is stored behind the last card or theprevious card used in the said recording.

The appliance involved in the invention consists of a box containing,first, a storage tray holding a series, or pile, of master cards, andequipped with a system for presenting these cards one after another,and, second, a presentation table, on which each mater card is placed inturn, the said table being positioned in such a way in relation to thestorage tray that, after recording of the information on the receivingcard, the master cards are returned to the storage tray behind the lastcard or the previous card used in the said recording.

According to one method of constructing the appliance involved in theinvention, the storage tray is on a higher level than the presentationtable, is separated from it by means of a partition, and one or moreslides link the storage tray to the said table, facilitating the slidingof the master card and its placing on top of the receiving card.

According to another method of constructing the appliance involved inthe invention, the partition separating the storage tray from thepresentation table is equipped with a system for distributing the cardsone after another, preferably consisting of a longitudinal groove at thetop of the partition, inside the tray.

According to yet another method of constructing the appliance involvedin the invention, a longitudinal slit beneath the said partition,connected with a sloping strip, enables the master card to return to thetray, after the recording of the information on the receiving card; thesaid longitudinal slit and sloping strip are arranged in such a way thatthe card returned to the tray comes behind the last of the master cardscontained in the said tray, and preferably at the bottom of the tray.

According to one method of constructing the appliance involved in theinvention, the bottom of the storage tray, at the end next to thepartition, forms the said sloping strip.

According to another method of constructing the appliance involved inthe invention, the said appliance includes, preferably beneath thepresentation table, a reserve of cards, generally receiving cards, heldin a container in the form of a drawer sliding or not.

According to yet another form of the invention, the appliance isequipped with a path or housing holding a pointed instrument, which canbe inserted in a hole on the master card and used to punch a hole in thecorresponding position on the receiving cards.

According to one method of constructing the appliance involved in theinvention, the pointed instrument has a pen at its other end.

Other purposes and advantages of the invention will become clear fromreading the description below and the accompanying figures, which arenot intended to be restrictive.

FIG. 1 gives a detailed view which shows how the master cards arebrought on to the presentation table and then returned to the storagetray.

FIG. 2 gives a view of the invention perspective.

FIG. 3 shows the pointed instrument outside its housing, with a pen atits far end.

The appliance involved in the invention consists of a box containing astorage tray 2, in which the master cards are piled, and a punch table,or presentation table 9.

A rim 1, at the back of the side edges of the tray, keeps the mastercards in the tray 2. A partition 3 separates the tray 2 from the table9. This partition should preferably be tilted, forming an angle ofbetween and with the plane of the cards, for example; the top of it hasa distributor groove 14, inside the tray 2. This groove allows themaster cards to be brought out one after another.

Sloping slides 4 help the master cars to slide down and be positioned ontop of the receiving cards. A rim 7 keeps the master card in position onthe presentation table.

The presentation table 9 is flanked by a side passage 10, for theintroduction of the receiving cards and their removal, and possibly theremoval of a master cards.

The bottom of the tray is curved to form a strip 12, helping to positionthe master cards coming from the presentation table beneath the lastcard in the pile, so that there is no change in the order of the cards.

The appliance may also include a reserve container 11 for receivingcards, beneath the presentation table 9, and possibly a second reservecontainer 11, beneath the tray 2. A housing or passage 13 is provided tohold a pointed instrument (FIG. 3), intended for the punching of thereceiving cards. This instrument may have a pen or pencil at its otherend.

The appliance operates as follows. A series of master cards is piled ina given order inside the storage tray 2. These cares are held in thetray by means of the rim 1. The operator; keeping his fingers as far aspossible from the partition 3, removes the cards from the tray 2, alonga passage provided between the upper end of the rim 3 and the slides 4;the grooves 14 allows only one master card to pass at a time.

The movement of the master card towards its position on top of areceiving card placed on the table 9 is assisted by the sloping slides4; it reaches the receiving card previously placed on the table 9, andis held in position by the rim 7.

The questions or answers contained on the master card are reproduced onthe receiving card by means of the pointed instrument, which is insertedin the relevant holes on the master card and perforates the receivingcard at the matching points.

When the questions or answers on one master card have been recorded, theoperator pushes the card in the opposite direction to the original one,returning it in this way to the tray 2, beneath the last master cardcontained in the tray, by passing under a guide 5 (not shown in FIG. 1which acts in conjunction with the strip 12, helping to position themaster card against the last card in the tray.

Naturally, the invention is not restricted to the method illustrated,and is intended to cover many variants possible for those skilled in theart, without betraying the spirit of the invention. For instance, onecould include any system involving automatic movement of the mastercards from the storage tray to the presentation table, or vice versa. lnparticular, the series of cards may take the form of a continuous strip,would on to a bobbin, for instance, which is inserted in a suitabletray, allowing the master strip thus formed to unwind, be superimposedon the receiving cards, and then be rewound on to another bobbin, suchas a receiving bobbin.

What is claimed is:

1. An appliance for recording information stored on a stack of mastercards, comprising:

means for holding said stack;

a presentation table;

a first passage extending from one side of said stack-holding means tosaid presentation table; and a second passage extending from saidpresentation table to the other side of said stack holding means,whereby when a plurality of master cards stacked in a predeterminedorder are held in said stack-holding means, the card adjacent said oneside can be moved through said first passage means to said presentationtable and subsequently moved from said presentation table through saidsecond passage means to the position in said holding means adjacent saidother side of said stack to thereby maintain said master cards in saidpredetermined order.

2. The appliance of claim 3, wherein said stack-holding means is forholding a plurality of substantially vertically stacked substantiallyhorizontal cards, said stack-holding means is horizontally ofiset fromsaid presentation table; and said one side of said stack holding meansis above said presentation table, whereby the top master card is movedoff said stack through said first passage to said presentation table anda master card moved off said presentation table through said secondpassage becomes the bottom master card in said stack.

3. The appliance of claim 4, wherein said stack-holding means includes apartition separating it from said presentation table, and said firstpassage is defined by a downwardly sloping slide.

4. The appliance of claim 4, wherein said partition is provided with anelongated groove adjacent its top for permitting movement of cards offthe top of said stack one at a time.

5. The appliance of claim 4, wherein said stack-holding means includes apartition separating it from said presentation table, and said secondpassage is defined by an elongated slit in the bottom of said partition.

6. The appliance of claim 6, wherein said second passage is defined byan elongated slit in the bottom of said partition.

7. The appliance of claim 7, wherein said second passage means comprisesan upwardly sloping slide on the opposite side of said partition fromsaid presentation table and terminating at the bottom of saidstack-holding means.

8. The appliance of claim 8, wherein said second passage means comprisesan upwardly sloping slide on the opposite side of said partition fromsaid presentation table and terminating at the bottom of saidstack-holding means.

9. The appliance of claim 4, further comprising a second card holdingmeans.

10. The appliance of claim 4, further comprising means for holding anelongated pointed instrument.

11. The appliance of claim 10, further comprising a second card holdingmeans.

12. The appliance of claim 10, further comprising means for holding anelongated pointed ir str rme nt.

1. An appliance for recording information stored on a stack of mastercards, comprising: means for holding said stack; a presentation table; afirst passage extending from one side of said stack-holding means tosaid presentation table; and a second passage extending from saidpresentation table to the other side of said stack holding means,whereby when a plurality of master cards stacked in a predeterminedorder are held in said stackholding means, the card adjacent said oneside can be moved through said first passage means to said presentationtable and subsequently moved from said presentation table through saidsecond passage means to the position in said holding means adjacent saidother side of said stack to thereby maintain said master cards in saidpredetermined order.
 2. The appliance of claim 3, wherein saidstack-holding means is for holding a plurality of substantiallyvertically stacked substantially horizontal cards, said stack-holdingmeans is horizontally offset from said presentation table; and said oneside of said stack holding means is above said presentation table,whereby the top master card is moved off said stack through said firstpassage to said presentation table and a master card moved off saidpresentation table through said second passage becomes the bottom mastercard in said stack.
 3. The appliance of claim 4, wherein saidstack-holding means includes a partition separating it from saidpresentation table, and said first passage is defined by a downwardlysloping slide.
 4. The appliance of claim 4, wherein said partition isprovided with an elongated groove adjacent its top for permittingmovement of cards off the top of said stack one at a time.
 5. Theappliance of claim 4, wherein said stack-holding means includes apartition separating it from said presentation table, and said secoNdpassage is defined by an elongated slit in the bottom of said partition.6. The appliance of claim 6, wherein said second passage is defined byan elongated slit in the bottom of said partition.
 7. The appliance ofclaim 7, wherein said second passage means comprises an upwardly slopingslide on the opposite side of said partition from said presentationtable and terminating at the bottom of said stack-holding means.
 8. Theappliance of claim 8, wherein said second passage means comprises anupwardly sloping slide on the opposite side of said partition from saidpresentation table and terminating at the bottom of said stack-holdingmeans.
 9. The appliance of claim 4, further comprising a second cardholding means.
 10. The appliance of claim 4, further comprising meansfor holding an elongated pointed instrument.
 11. The appliance of claim10, further comprising a second card holding means.
 12. The appliance ofclaim 10, further comprising means for holding an elongated pointedinstrument.